June

Recent News

The Vatican City honors Saints Peter and Paul with a commemorative €2 coin on the 1,950th anniversary of their death. 2017 marks the 1,950th anniversary of the martyrdom of the two saints. In total, 105,000 coins were issued in June.

A hoard of gold coins found in the Netherlands in 2016 has recently come to light. In 2016, treasure hunters discovered 23 gold coins from the late Roman Empire in an orchard in Lienden, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. The gold solidi were struck in the late fourth and fifth centuries.

Spink on July 5 will auction a convict love token, carved from an example of the 1797 2-ounce Cartwheel twopence from Britain. The whopper of a token was created by Thomas Hammond, who was sent to Australia in 1841 for stealing £1.10, coal, spoons and bacon.

The Royal Canadian Mint has issued 2-ounce silver coin with a design employing the Zentangle method. The Proof .9999 fine silver $30 coin celebrates the grey wolf, an animal that has long inspired Canada’s artists to create artwork that captures the wild beauty of the iconic species.

The Pobjoy Mint’s latest coin struck for the British Antarctic Territory calls attention to a cause of importance to the territory of issue, its disappearing ice shelf. The Proof .925 fine sterling silver coin is denominated £2.

The latest project from the modern East India Company is a limited mintage, nine-coin set of Proof gold coins issued in the name of St. Helena that tell the entwined story of the British Empire and the historic company.

The People’s Bank of China issued three coins for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which was held May 14 and 15. The forum name plays off the One Belt, One Road trade initiative, which aims to connect modern traders across the famous, historic Silk Road.

When it comes to scientific award medals, the Nobel Prize is the most famous. But medal collectors know that the category of scientific award medals is by no means limited to the glinty objects coming from Sweden. A highlight from Spink’s July 5 auction in London offers one such prize piece available for purchase.

The military might of the French nation may not be considered particularly fearsome in modern times, but French forces have been responsible for some historic conquests. One such event in 1676 is honored on a bronze medal that recently sold at auction.